Active transportation plan stalled

By Svjetlana Mlinarevic http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/author/svjetlana-mlinarevic, The Graphic

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/2015/02/17/active-transportation-plan-sta...

City of Portage la Prairie councillors recently defeated a motion to implement an active transportation plan for the city.

Administrators had recommended the city award the development of an active transportation plan to MMM Group Ltd. for $51,840. Councillors defeated the motion during their regular council meeting on Feb. 9 as most felt it was costing the city too much money.

“I completely support the city’s efforts to address and properly plan active transportation initiatives in our community. I do have some concerns though with our ability to fund the projects at hand and I’m just wondering whether or not this is an item, that while we did send out an RFP, should not be appended until after we’re done our debt management plan,” said finance chair Coun. Brent Budz, who was the first to strike down the recommendation.

The city issued a request for proposals (RFP) for consulting services for the master plan and received three proposals, with MMM ultimately being chosen by staff as the best choice (it is currently working on the Saskatchewan Avenue revitalization plan).

MMM’s plan would assess the needs of residents; would involve discussions with stakeholders; develop an active transportation network plan; develop on and off-street route design standard; develop a phasing plan; identify maintenance requirements and development standards; prepare a public communication and education plan; develop land use policies and land development standards; and prepare cost estimates.

The process would also include a public open house.

The city budgeted $20,000 for the plan with additional funds coming from potential grants from the province ($20,000); small communities transportation fund, and the community planning assistance program. Administration would defer a $30,000 budgeted item until the grant money is received from the province in order for the project to proceed. The final report would have been completed by the end of June.

Budz further compared the active transportation plan to the Saskatchewan Avenue and Island Park bridge plans and said it would be difficult for the city to accomplish all of the projects in an appropriate amount of time.

Coun. Brent Froese disagreed with Budz’ lumping of the active transportation plan in with the larger projects.

“The fact is that we’ve already been spending money on active transportation ever since the construction of the Crescent path and even longer. We have committed in our debt management plan monies per year for, I believe, the next 15 years. So, it’s not as if we’re talking about an unplanned expenditure.

“We’re already spending this money. I also understand that there have been monies donated and waiting to be applied to this project, specifically by the Rotary Club, and there may be other monies that are kind of sitting and waiting for this plan to be finished.

“I don’t feel comfortable holding this back on the grounds that this is like the bridge and Saskatchewan Avenue. This is an attempt to plan what we are kind of already doing and maybe we’re already a little late in the planning stage,” said Froese.

Mayor Irvine Ferris said there has been an active transportation committee working on this for more than two years and asked director of operations Kelly Braden for his thoughts.

“There is an active transportation committee group that has been working on this and it seems to be proceeding without a real plan in place,” said Braden. “It has developed a sketch but every year council has been allocating about $10,000 a year for active transportation. I recommended that we put a plan together, in advance, and then follow that plan for the next 10 or 20 years.”

Braden added that the debt management plan has about $500,000 already allocated to active transportation, pathway upgrading and redevelopment for the next 10 years.

“That’s one of the reasons I want to put a plan together before we go $50,000 a year .... before we spend that kind of money there should be a plan in place,” said Braden.

Espey asked if the city could use university students to develop a plan as the city had done for the Saskatchewan Avenue project as it would be cheaper. City manager Jean-Marc Nadeau said it might not be possible as the students are selective in what projects they take on because they don’t want to take away from the private sector.

“We can ask, but my expectation is that they will likely say, ‘No,’” said Nadeau.

Coun. Wayne Wall said he felt Espey’s proposal was not above board.

“I have a bit of a problem with asking for proposals from consultants and then going out to students and saying, ‘Hey, can you do it cheaper than this?’ from an ethical point-of-view,” he said.

svjetlana.mlinarevic@sunmedia.ca